Public Health in Ancient Greece

The Ancient Greek would not have been too unfamiliar with some of the health and fitness regimes that are used by people today. The word 'Regimen' was used by the Greeks to describe peoples lifestyles: from which can be derived the word regimented (as in organised). The Greek philosophy of 'Regimen' covered what people ate, drank, the types and amount of exercise that they took and how much sleep they had.

These ideas were very thorough: it demonstrates that the Greeks knew that lifestyle could affect the quality of life, as evidenced by their development and championing of the Olympics. Such is the quality of the remaining evidence that we can even see that doctors advice differed for those who were rich: and could therefore afford to spend time and money on relaxing, and those who worked or were poorer: and therefore couldn't maintain as healthy a lifestyle as possible.

Examples of source material relating to the 'Regimen' can be found in the activities section or via the external Greek links.

Ancient Greece Section - pages in this unit

Unit home page - Hippocrates: Background - Hippocrates: Theory of the Four Humors - The Cult of Asclepious - The City of A lexandria - Public Health in Ancient Greece - Activities - External Links

	Greek and Roman Medicine The second book in the History of Medicine series. This book is an ideal resource for students following the Medicine Through Time course at GCSE level. The book provides a clear understanding of the key ideas that formed medical practice throughout the Ancient and medieval worlds, making the content 'must know' material. Brilliantly summarised and supported by a wide range of images.

Textbooks	Revision Guides

In this unit:

Recommended Resources

Medicinethroughtime.co.uk - new site. Including Blog and use of twitter for free text / IM revision tips.

SchoolsHistory.org.uk highly recommends these sites:

Schoolhistory.co.uk - fantastic range of interactive games, revision materials and links.
ActiveHistory.co.uk - outstanding use of ICT to engage pupils.
Thinkinghistory.co.uk - a brilliant range of learning activities from Ian Dawson
JohnDClare.net - simply the best for Modern World GCSE students
History.org.uk - resources and CPD materials from the Historical Association.
Historyboxes.com - make your lessons 'real' with artefacts and living history provided by experts
Schoolshistory.com - same author as this site, just put together in a slightly different way!